Pope Alexander VI

Pope Alexander VI (1 January 1431-18 August 1503), born Roderic Llancol and later called Rodrigo Borgia, was the Pope from 1492 until his death in 1503.

Early Life and Career
Rodrigo Borgia was born at Xativa in the Kingdom of Valencia, one of the component states of the Kingdom of Aragon. He was adopted by his uncle, Pope Callixtus III, and in 1455 he changed his name to Borja (Borgia).

Rodrigo de Borgia studied law at Bologna, and was successively made bishop, cardinal, and vice-chancellor of the church, all of which were nepotistic appointments characteristic of the age. He served in the Roman Curia under five Popes (his uncle, Callixtus III, Pope Pius II, Pope Paul II, Pope Sixtus IV and Pope Innocent VIII) and acquired much administrative experience, influence, and wealth, though not great power. By the time Rodrigo served under Pope Sixtus IV, he had become a member of the Templar Order in 1458, and later became Grand Master in 1476. In this position, he aspired to unite all of Italy under the Templar banner. In order to achieve that goal, he made plans to take down the leaders of Italy's main cities, and place his own men in power.

Pazzi Conspiracy
In 1476 Borgia stirred up the Pazzi Conspiracy to overthrow the House of Medici and take over Florence for the Templar-controlled House of Pazzi. He killed Giovanni Auditore da Firenze and most of his family and nearly succeeded in killing Lorenzo de Medici, but this was prevented by Giovanni's son Ezio Auditore da Firenze, who hunted down his father's killers as well as other Templars. In 1480 Borgia killed Jacopo de Pazzi, mad that he had failed him, and instead made an alliance with the House of Barbarigo in Venice. He contacted Emilio Barbarigo, who helped him in the Pazzi execution. His new "Venetian Conspiracy" was set at killing Doge Giovanni Mocenigo and replacing him with Marco Barbarigo, who was a Templar ally.

Venetian Conspiracy
However, Ezio foiled this plot. He killed all of the conspirators, and although the Doge was killed and Marco became the new ruler, he was slain after only a year of being Doge. The new Barbarigo, Agostino Barbarigo, was a pro-Assassin one who vowed not to ally with the House of Borgia, and once more Rodrigo's plot came to an end. In 1488 he came from Cyprus to Venice and he took the Apple of Eden from two Venetian guards, but Ezio beat him in a duel and made off with the Apple with help from his colleagues. Shortly after, Ezio was made a member of the Assassins.

The Vault
Rodrigo Borgia was not defeated yet, and he got a step closer to The Vault and victory by becoming the new Pope in 1492, taking the name Alexander VI. Borgia appointed his family members to high-ranking positions, with nepotism, corruption, and greed defining his eleven-year reign of terror. He fought off the French invasions of Italy in the Italian Wars, but in 1498 he was defeated in the search for the Vault, as Ezio was the Prophet, and only the Prophet could open the Vault. Borgia was beaten down in the Vault room but escaped, leaving Ezio victorious for the time being.

However, Papal Armies were on the march for Forli and Monteriggioni once more on 1 January 1500, and Borgia captured Monteriggioni from Condotierro Mario Auditore, killing him and taking the Apple of Eden from the fortress. This was not yet the end of the Assassins, as Ezio entered Rome and began his liberation by killing Iacopo de Grassi and burning down his tower in the Centro District.

Death
Eventually, his grip on power weakened as it seemed that his son Cesare Borgia was in control of things. He decided that he had to remove his son, and poisoned an apple that he was to eat. However, his daughter (and Cesare's incestuous partner) Lucrezia warned Cesare, who spat out what he had ate and forced the apple in Rodrigo's mouth. The Pope died, and Pope Julius II succeeded him.